Filling the Gaps
by Lady Lylia
Summary: The story of the L/Jcrew after graduation. Takes place between my other 2 HPs, you don't necessarily need to read them too, but will add to your enjoyment. NOT JUST ANOTHER L/JFIC! I own OCs+some plot. Rating'll get worse (YKW rising). Sorry ch5=so long!
1. Catching Up in the Park

It was a lovely muggle park. There were trees blossoming, flowers blooming, and soft green grass. James walked beside Lily with a smile. He took her hand, gave it a squeeze, and led her to a little stone park bench by the pond.  
  
"I can't believe I haven't seen you in two monthes!" Lily said with a laugh, giving him a peck on the cheek and a hug. James had grown up a lot since they had first met. Now, he was just over six feet tall, and he had strong, wiry muscles that made him much tougher than he looked. His brown eyes had a depth to them that she had never imagined before, and they gleamed when he looked at her. Even in muggle jeans and a tee shirt, he looked handsome. He had a deep tan, which suited him well.  
  
James sat down on the bench, pulled her to the seat next to him. "I've missed you so much, Lil. You have no idea!" Her long fiery curls wafted in the breeze, and her eyes that were more beautiful than emeralds were looking only at him. She looked good in her muggle outfit, proudly bearing a jacket from Rowena Ravenclaw's University, a jacket that simply had 'RR' on it in blue and gold to avoid muggles. She was radiant. I'm the luckiest man alive, he thought with a smile. "Guess what?"  
  
She grinned back. "What?"  
  
"I got into the Aurors!" he said, practically hysterical with joy.  
  
Lily's eyes grew as round as saucers, then she shrieked and threw her arms around him. "I'm so happy, Jamie! I can't believe it!" She hugged him to pieces, then took a breath and pushed herself a little ways back from him. "What about Sirius?" she asked, remembering James's long-time best friend.  
  
"He got in too," James said with a gigantic grin. It was the career both of them had been hoping for since they were little, and they had done it. "So, how has higher learning suited you?" They both knew that Lily had gotten into Rowena Ravenclaw's University.  
  
"RR's is great! My roommate, Juliet, is a little out there, but she's wonderful! I'm president of the Latin club, and it looks like I'm going to be valedictorian," she said "though I sometimes find myself missing the scent of dungbombs!"  
  
James just laughed and wrapped his arms around her. "Somehow, I suspect that the other aurors won't take to acid pops too well."  
  
"It would be funny if you tried, though," Lily replied with a soft smile, just leaning into his arms. "Though it might be a good idea for you two to lay low for a while. You don't have me to watch your back anymore, Jamie."  
  
"You little...!" James said, mildly exasperated, tickling her furiously in his arms. Lily kicked and squirmed and even shrieked a little before they both settled down again.  
  
"So, how are Remus and Peter?" Remus and Peter were friends of both Lily and James, though she hadn't spoken to either in quite some time.  
  
James sighed. "Peter's got a desk job at the ministry. Mostly filing, or so he grumbles."  
  
"I just can't see him doing deskwork," Lily said. Peter had never been good at homework, and she had always had to help him. "Is he still going out with Louise?" she asked, remembering the nice Swedish witch he had been dating not too long ago.  
  
"No, she dumped him about a month ago. Something about his refusal to commit. He's trying not to be too broken up about it, but we all know he's not taking it too well."  
  
Lily sighed. "And Remus? Hazel really wants to know." Remus and Hazel had been dating for just as long as she and James had. Unfortunately, Remus was a werewolf, which left little time for dating around the full moon.  
  
"Oh, he's doing all right, as far as we know. Last I heard of him, he was wandering around in Moscow. There is a huge population of people like him there, and he seemed optomistic about the Russians knowing something that could be of use."  
  
"Next time you hear from him, tell him that Hazel misses him."  
  
James nodded. "So, how is she?"  
  
Lily smiled at the memory of Hazel Weatherby, her shy, quiet friend. "She's doing a lot of part-time work. A muggle greenhouse during the week and spending nights and weekends taking care of magical creatures at Magical Menagerie in Hogsmeade. Then, somehow, she makes it to St. Mungo's twice a week to visit the patients! I don't know how she does it," she said in mild wonder.  
  
James nodded again. "And we all know how Arabella is. Best chaser the Chudley Cannons have ever had, Sirius and I go to watch her every chance we get." Arabella Figg and Sirius Black had been a long-standing couple as well, and James had played quidditch with them both for several years at Hogwarts.  
  
"I wish I got to see Ara more," Lily added with a sigh.  
  
"Hmm," James replied. "Why don't you come with Sirius and I to watch the next CC game?" He saw the skeptical look on her face. "Oh, come on, Lil! It'll be fun!"  
  
"Famous last words," Lily replied with a laugh, giving James another hug. "I've got to get back to RR's, my next class is in twenty minutes." She stood and gave him a kiss, then walked away.  
  
"I'll owl you about going to see a game!" James called after her. Then he sighed. He already missed her, and she wasn't even out of sight range. You've really got it bad, Prongs, he thought to himself. You've really got it bad. 


	2. City of Nightmares

The streets of Moscow were empty, deserted, especially on nights like this. Nights charged with the scent of lightning about to strike. In the city of nightmares, it was dangerous to walk the streets at night. This was the city where Remus walked.  
  
The still air was thick with promises, promises of excitement and danger, blood and power. Such promises were a dime a dozen, but they persisted nonetheless. Promises that tried to wrap him in their dark embrace, secret him away to the shadows. I don't belong here, Remus had to keep reminding himself. I am not like them, he thought to himself, even as he walked towards his objective of the evening. Though he had been in Moscow for a month, this was the first place he had actually been optomistic enough to hope would have the answers he sought.  
  
He was there. A grimy, beat-up little nightclub, with rock music faintly audible from the street. The sign said 'Midnight Moonlight Music' in neon, and in English. Much of the Russia used English in addition to Russian, thank the gods. Midnight Moonlight Music. A revealing name, if one knew what to look for. The place he was looking for. The answers he was looking for. Remus opened the door.  
  
The music became infinitely louder. He had to fight the urge to cover his ears; every sensation is amplified in werewolves, a danger-alertion mechanic that made normal life difficult. The club's patrons looked like ordinary riff-raff, the usual druggies and headbangers that these places attracted, but Remus knew better. These were no ordinary flotsam and jetsam. These were vampires, werewolves, an odd hag or two, and the dark arts-focusing witches and wizards. These were the people you didn't want to meet in an alley somewhere.  
  
This was the underworld. The location for the fairy-tales of muggles that the ordinary witches and wizards did not consider polite company. And the underworld's most popular resort location was Moscow. That was why Remus was here. The first hint of a cure, and the Russians would be the ones who knew.  
  
Remus had tried his hardest to look like he belonged, avoid trouble. He wore black trenchcoat, over an all black outfit, and pulled his brown hair into a short ponytail. He didn't seem too vulnerable, but at the same time, he was not especially tough looking.  
  
Remus also wore dark sunglasses. He had to. Before he crossed the threshold, Remus had known exactly what he would see in the eyes of every person inside the club: eyes hardened by years, decades, sometimes centuries of witnessing atrocious crimes, participating in those same slaughters. Remus had not yet lost the innocent look in his eyes, hoped he never would, but feared looking in the mirror more and more with each passing day. Remus prayed that he would die before he saw that look in his eyes. When he saw that look, it meant that he had lost, that the monster within had triumphed at last.  
  
Stop the reverie, Remus thought. Focus. He scanned the room. There. At a corner booth. It was him, his contact. Remus walked up quietly, much to quietly for a normal human, though with the music blaring no one would notice that. "Hello, Vasily," Remus said, sliding into the opposite seat.  
  
"Hello, Remus, my good friend," Vasily replied, his voice a deep and rich timber. Vasily was taller than Remus by far, nearly seven feet tall, but almost as thin. His black hair was pulled back in Samurai fashion, wrapped in cord and protrudig from the back of his head. He was as pale as death and his dark eyes gleamed like a rabid animal's. He flashed Remus a cold smile, one that revealed his two long, gleaming incisors.  
  
"How can you talk with those bared? Put them away," Remus said impatiently. "I have no time for your antics, is the person we discussed here?"  
  
Vasily growled, a deep base rumble. Remus just snarled in response, a sound several pitches deeper than Vasily's. The vampire just stared at Remus maliciously for a moment, and then laughed heartily. "Yes, she's here."  
  
"She?" Remus was dumbfounded, though he hid it quickly. He knew EXACTLY what Vasily thought women were good for, and using them for information was not part of it.  
  
"Yes, she," Vasily replied, waving his hand impatiently at Remus. "She'll be here any minute now." Suddenly, he looked up, smiled again, baring his fangs much more broadly this time. "Why, here she is now! Remus Lupin, may I present Jarsali Scott."  
  
Remus turned, was taken aback by what he saw. The woman before him was short, not even five feet tall, but broader than Remus, with limbs twice as thick. She had thick, straight black hair cut to her earlobes, golden eyes, and a swarthy complexion. She wore a brown hooded robe, simple and with a homespun appearance. She quickly grabbed Remus's hand, shook it senseless. In a voice that was somehow much too gravelly, too boisterous to possibly come from her short body, she said. "Nice to meet you, Remus."  
  
Remus caught himself with his guard down, thinking that Jarsali seemed friendly enough. He couldn't afford to make such a stupid mistake. Gods knew what they had up their sleeves. "Same to you. So, what brings you to this fine establishment?"  
  
Jarsali laughed as she pulled up a chair and sat on the edge of the table. "Oh, the usual Durmstrang education, followed by a rather unfortunate bite... but I suppose it happens to the best of us, with you being case in point. You seem much too NICE to ever wind up in Moscow. You don't belong here. So, what brought you?"  
  
"The rumors," Remus said shortly. "Why else would anyone come to Moscow?"  
  
Jarsali twirled a thick strand of hair. "The vodka?" They all laughed. "Speaking of," she said, then gave an ear-piercing whistle that nearly shattered both of Remus's eardrums. "Waiter? I want a bottle of vodka for this table."  
  
"And a glass of water, Remus added. He did not trust Vasily enough to get drunk in his presense, and he knew nothing about Jarsali, not yet. If she was going to get drunk, maybe he'd learn something.  
  
"And a glass of your finest champagne for myself," Vasily said with a soft chuckle. Remus shook his head, disgusted. In muggle establishments, asking for their finest champagne usually entailed a more female, less clothed, form of entertainment. In the underground, it meant asking for blood in a glass.  
  
"I'll have to go FETCH some more champagne then," the waiter, a sleazy little Russian vampire wearing a dirty apron, said with a grin. His meaning was clear. Gods, how he hated these places! No matter, Remus thought quietly, he had to be here, now, to get what he wanted.  
  
After about fifteen minutes, the waiter returned, a few new reddish- brown stains on his clothes. Oh gods, don't think about it, Remus thought. Don't think about it.  
  
"So, Jarsali," Remus said, after everyone had had a few gulps of their chosen beverage, "have you heard the rumors?"  
  
"Rumors?" she asked, feigning innocence.  
  
Remus sighed impatiently. "Yes, rumors. About a cure."  
  
"Oh, THOSE rumors!" she said, giving a tittery, high-pitched laugh that grated on his eardrums. "Of course. I haven't heard much, obviously. Those working on cures have to keep hidden, you know. It wouldn't do at all if there were no 'wolves anymore, would it, Vasily?"  
  
The tall vampire just laughed with a glint in his dark eyes. "No, it wouldn't do at all."  
  
"I thought you said you could help me," Remus said coolly, trying to pretend he hadn't guessed that they were about to do him in. Think, Moony, think! Just be ready.  
  
Vasily smiled again. "Of course we can help you. It is much too loud in here to really talk, isn't it? Perhaps if we met outside..."  
  
"You know the deal, Vasily. We meet here, now, or not at all." Remus started to stand up, adjusting his sunglasses with one hand. The other hand went unobtrusively to where his wand was hidden.  
  
Jarsali grabbed his hand. "No, don't go!" she hissed. This woman was much stronger than Remus had expected, and she yanked him back with minimal effort. "STAY, let's finish our drinks, and we can TALK." Jarsali's emphasis made her desire clear.  
  
"Let the boy go, Sal, he's not worth it," Vasily whispered. Loud as the music was, Remus could still read the vampire's lips clearly. "I could pick him up later."  
  
"Don't, Vas," Jarsali replied coldly. "Just hang around."  
  
Remus decided. He would stay, for now at least. He coolly sat back down, asking Jarsali again, "What have you heard?"  
  
"I don't know much," Jarsali admitted gruffly. "All I have is a name. Geiger. I've worked for him before. In a place like this, people like me wind up working for everyone in the business eventually," she said. Remus didn't have to ask what line of work Jarsali was in. She was a cutthroat, an informant, and an assassin. Typical 'wolf. She continued, "but I have never met him. According to the rumor mill, he's been working on a cure for years, but nothing so far, at least not that he's bragged about. But when there's a cure, if there's a cure, he'd know before anyone."  
  
"How do I contact him?" Remus tried to sound casual, wasn't sure it was working. He had a lead, the first in a week and a half! How could he NOT be excited?  
  
Jarsali took a swig of her vodka, then rested her chin on her hand. "Hmm, not an easy question. Ask around long enough, and either he'll find you, or we'll find your corpse. Meet us here, same time next week, if you haven't heard from him."  
  
Remus nodded, rose. Tweaking his sunglasses to fully hide his naive grey eyes, he got up from his seat and walked to the door, his back to his drinking partners. Pushing it open, his eyes were met by dim streetlamps, too few and far between to do anything but accentuate the shadows.  
  
There was a noise behind him. Footsteps. He was being trailed closely by someone nearly as stealthy. Remus whirled, punched his stalker hard on the face. Vasily fell hard onto his back.  
  
"I won't be as generous next time," Remus whispered, again turning his back on the vampire as he casually strolled into the night, into the shadows. They called to him yet again, but Remus ignored their plaintive murmurs. Instead, he stared up at the stars as he hid between street lamps, eventually vanishing all together on the forlorn and silent street. 


	3. In the Dorm

Lily was sitting on her bed, studying. College was great, but not like Hogwarts. She was really being challenged here. Not that Hogwarts wasn't challenging, but she did not have to work half as hard there as she did at RR's. The Rowena Ravenclaw's University only admitted the best: the top five percent of any school. Then, once they had you, they pushed you academically until you snapped. Then, once you snapped, they built you back up again, and continued to push at the same pace. It was wild, it was tough, and Lily was loving every minute of it.  
  
Still, she missed some things. Eating in the great room, studying in the Gryffindor common room, staying up late at least once a week with Arabella Figg and Hazel Weatherby, her two best friends. Watching the Marauders playing pranks. The Marauders… James. She missed James most of all, and she had seen him only a week ago.  
  
Not that she didn't have friends at RR's. She had Juliet, her best college buddy. Juliet Montague had gone to Aurea Divinia, a school of magic, like Hogwarts, in Verona. Jule was a bit out there. She was always lost in thought, always contemplating some mystery life or other. Juliet was a bit out there, raven haired, dark eyes, pale skinned, and always wearing black. She was majoring in divination, focusing in seeing, the use of divination without any apparatus.  
  
Just then, Juliet walked in. "Hello, Lily," she said, walking over to the bird cage by her bed. She began to softly murmur to Lenore, her pet raven, as she fed her.  
  
"Hey, Jule, what's up?" Lily asked with a smile.  
  
Juliet didn't really turn to look at Lily as she answered. "Just waiting to see where fate takes me. Alea iacta est." The dice are cast, her favorite saying, by Julius Caesar. "You?"  
  
"I'm starting to get sick of the dark arts training. It's so morbid, and I doubt I'll ever need it."  
  
Juliet turned to face her, her dark eyes somehow looking at Lily without really seeing her, "Oh, we will all need it. Especially you, Lil, especially you."  
  
Lily was chilled to the bone. "What do you mean?"  
  
It was like she came out of a trance. "Hmm? Oh, I did it again, didn't I?" Juliet got visions sometimes, which were always a bit creepy to Lily. Lily saw the world in a more mathematical way, point A goes to point B on line C, while Juliet saw all the hazy, inbetween aspects of life and the universe.  
  
"I love you like a sister, Jule, but you have to stop doing that."  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
Lily sighed. "Oh, nevermind." Lily went back to her homework. More charms, which was her major. Not the kiddie stuff she had done at Hogwarts. REAL charms. Like the one she was researching right now, the Fidelius charm. Serious magic. Putting a secret inside a soul, to be kept safe there until the bearer divulges it. REAL magic. 


	4. At the Magical Menagerie

From behind the counter at the Magical Menagerie, a thin figure was barely visible. Her straight brown hair was pulled back into a loose, untidy braid and large glasses only seemed to show off her hazel eyes. A storekeeper's apron covered a witch's robes as she stretched her arms over her head. Hazel Weatherby was a quiet, casual beauty, a young witch who was usually covered in too much dirt and animal hair for her appearance to really shine. There was still a distinct glimmer in her eyes, the look someone can only get from doing work she enjoys. Hazel had always loved working with plants and animals, and being a part time assistant at the only pet shop on Diagon Alley gave her ample time to do just that.  
  
Hazel's best subjects at Hogwarts had always been Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures, and she had put that knowledge into practice immediately out of school. She got herself apprenticed at a muggle nursery and sought out a position at the Magical Menagerie. Someday, she was going to open up her own little greenhouse/pound at Diagon Alley. That was what she wanted in life. All she wanted in life.  
  
Wasn't it? No, it wasn't. She didn't even try to lie anymore, to hide it from herself. She was missing something...someone.  
  
"There you go," Hazel said sweetly, handing a little box with ventilation holes to a little wizard-to-be. He had just bought his first rat. The boy just smiled and nodded his thanks, flashing her a smile and showing off his grey eyes. He had grey eyes.  
  
Hazel shivered uncontrollably as the boy ran away. Bittersweet grey eyes. She couldn't move, she couldn't breathe. All she could do was clutch the edge of the counter. Forlorn grey eyes. "As if he's not in my dreams enough," she whispered, much more forlornly than she had wanted to. Tragic grey eyes.  
  
He had left her, left her to find a cure. Left her to remember him. To remember his sad, lonely grey eyes.  
  
Memories. Haunting her day and night. Memories of when they had been together, of when they had been happy. Why couldn't he have stayed with her? She didn't mind what he was, it didn't bother her at all. Why should it? She loved Remus, loved him for HIM.  
  
'Everyone has demons, it's just that mine are a bit more tangible than anyone else's.' He had said that to her once. How long had it been? They were still students at Hogwarts, only about their third year year. He wasn't even a teenager then, and he had demons in his soul? Remus, one of the the best people she knew?  
  
The chime rang. A customer was entering. She was obviously a hag, and one from the marshes at that. Her unkempt hair and gnarled grey-green hands spoke of that much. "Missie, do you stock wolfbane?"  
  
Hazel shuddered, but managed to say in a calm voice, "No, you might try the apothecary across the street."  
  
The hag nodded, tipped her pointed hat, and left, fortunately doing so in an expedient manner, before Hazel hastily stumbled to the storage room in back, stifling her tears. 


	5. Chudley Cannons vs. Wimbourne Wasps

Lily was standing in the small bathroom she and Juliet shared, brushing out her auburn locks. The mirror seemed to be in a benevolent mood, because she caught herself thinking that she didn't look half bad. Then she laughed. Typical of her, all because James was going to be there in about fifteen minutes. Just thinking about him always did that, made her think more optimistically about everything. Even about herself.  
  
"Maybe this is love", Lily whispered, staring into the mirror. Her green eyes were staring right back at her, and they definitely had the dreamy, romantic look in them, at least until she started analyzing her reflection, mostly because the magical mirror had cast her reflection so her head swelled. "Jule, you almost ready?"  
  
"Yeah," Julie called back. "I think." She sounded nervous.  
  
Lily poked her head out the bathroom door into the main room of their dorm. "You all right, Jule?"  
  
Juliet's face was pale, solemn. "I'm not sure."  
  
"What do you mean? Are you okay?" Lily was worried. What had happened?  
  
"I think I'm fine. It's just that I don't know for sure or not, because..." her voice trailed off. Then, she looked back at Lily with a wicked grin. "Because I can't get to a mirror because you're hogging the bathroom!"  
  
Lily cracked a smile as she grabbed a nearby pillow to throw at her. "Fine, the bathroom's all yours. Not that it matters, you look fine." Lily wasn't lying. Juliet's pale face stood out beautifully against her black hair and matching clothes.  
  
Juliet kept the door open as she brushed her hair and washed her face. "So, who's going to be there again?"  
  
"All my friends from Hogwarts. Well, almost all. Remus and Hazel won't be there, but everyone else from my little group is coming. James, Sirius, and Peter are picking us up, along with Arabella. Then we drop Ara off to get ready to play, because we're going to the Chudley Cannons game, and we all hang out for a while."  
  
"Why am I going again?" Juliet asked as she put on her mascara, spidery and black, like the rest of her makeup.  
  
Lily just gave her friend an exasperated laugh. "Because it's a QUIDDITCH game, and we both hate quidditch, and the boys are wild for it. That means that I need to bring someone along so I don't go insane and kill them all."  
  
"Okay, fine," Juliet said with a sigh. "One question: are they cute?"  
  
Lily laughed again. "Sorry, Jule. I've got James, and Ara's had a claim on Sirius since we were all fourteen, about three monthes longer than James and I have been together. The only one left is Peter. He's nice enough, but nothing to look at. Don't tell him I said it, though, he'd be crushed."  
  
"How are they picking us up?"  
  
"I dunno, James said it would be a surprise."  
  
All of a sudden, Lily heard the sound of motorbikes outside the dorm window. Juliet was closer. She drew back the curtain, and started laughing. "I think they're here, Lil."  
  
Lily ran over to the window to see for herself. In the twilight view, three black shapes hovering in midair. Of course, three flying motorbikes, one for each Marauder in attendance. "Hey, boys!" Lily catcalled. "Didja miss me?!" All three men laughed heartily as they pulled off their helmets  
  
"Like you wouldn't believe!" Sirius shouted merrily. "Oh, Lillieth, Lillieth, sweet flower, I pray thee!"  
  
"Shove it, Sirius! Jule, these are my moronic friends. Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, and James Potter. Boys, this is Juliet Montague, my roommate. Pete, you mind riding double with Jule?"  
  
Peter eyed the gothic witch for a second and grinned evilly. "Sure. Nice to meetcha!" he said with a weasely smile as Juliet jumped down to the seat behind him. She took a helmet from Peter and gave Lily a thumbs up as she settled in.  
  
"Madame, your chariot awaits," James said with a mock bow from his seat, about six feet below the window.  
  
Lily looked dubious. "How do I get to my chariot?"  
  
"Jump!" James said with a grin, as though it was obvious.  
  
Lily laughed. "Run through the wall at the train station, Lily! Jump out your dorm room window, Lily! What's next? How about, 'Put your head in a dragon's mouth, Lily'?"  
  
"Oh, come on, Lil! No offense, but I've been catching snitches since I was twelve, and you are a lot bigger than a snitch!"  
  
"Gee, thanks," Lily muttered sarcastically. "Wingardium Leviosa!" she cried, tapping herself on the head with her wand. She rose in the air, then floated down to James. She kissed his cheek, whispering, "So I have trust issues!" as she settled in behind him, putting on the helmet he handed her.  
  
"Hold on tight," James cried as he revved up the motor, with Sirius and Peter followed suit. Lily smiled at the opportunity and did precisely that, leaning her body against his back, covered in a black leather jacket.  
  
James was finding it harder and harder to concentrate on where he was going as they flew. All he could think about was Lily's delicate body pressed against his back. Fortunately, Sirius knew the way to Arabella's house better than he did, so he took the lead.  
  
After fifteen minutes of soaring through the open air, a clearly nonmuggle residential area opened up. Only a witch or wizard could have noticed the minor differences, the faintly colored smoke rising from chimneys and the abundance of owls in flight, just visible in the rapidly dimming light.  
  
Sirius was visibly scanning the streets below, then pulling into a steep dive at a particular block. James and Peter quickly followed, and it became a race to see who could touch ground and make it to Arabella's the quickest. Even without the headstart, James had won, though Sirius was very close behind. Lily shrieked in mild terror at the descent, which made all three Marauders laugh. As soon as the motorbikes had braked outside Arabella's home, everyone pulled off their helmets and got down from the bikes.  
  
Sirius alone walked up to the house, a beautiful little Victorian building snugly nestled between the neighboring houses. He rang the bell, and Lily couldn't help but grin when the door opened. Arabella Figg walked out briskly, her long, pale blonde hair pulled back into a braid and a pure white blouse and capris on, under a white leather trenchcoat. Her wand was tucked into her belt, along with a little white silk bag.  
  
After a quick kiss with Sirius, Arabella and Lily practically ran at each other. "Lily!" Arabella shrieked gleefully as the two embraced.  
  
"Ara! I've missed you so much! How are you?"  
  
Arabella laughed, her color changing eyes currently an intense turquoise. "Depends on whether or not Chudley wins tonight! Stone and Fletcher might flay me alive."  
  
"I didn't know Mundungus and Tobias were on the team with you!" Lily was pleased, but not surprised. Mundungus Fletcher and Tobias Stone had both been excellent quidditch players at Hogwarts, both several years older than Lily and her friends.  
  
"Yes, we have them both. Now, if only CERTAIN PEOPLE had made something respectable of themselves, instead of becoming auras or whatnot- ," Arabella said slyly.  
  
Sirius growled menacingly. "AurORs, Ara! Not aurAs! There is a bloody difference!" James just chuckled at them both.  
  
Juliet coughed politely, though wearing a wicked grin. Lily gasped, "Oh, I'm so sorry! Ara, this is Juliet Montague, my roommate at RR's; Jule, this is Arabella Figg, one of my best friends, and the best chaser the Chudley Cannons have ever had!"  
  
Arabella and Juliet shook hands. Lily couldn't help but notice how different, yet similar, the girls looked. Both were pale, thin, with long hair. Yet Juliet wore all black, while Arabella was clothed in pure white, with matching hair colors.  
  
"We'd better go, or we'll be late," Peter said. Everyone nodded, and they all hopped back on the motorbikes.  
  
Arabella, smiling evilly, sat in the driver's seat on Sirius's bike. He just gaped at her like a fish, even as James and Lily snickered. "Ara, what are you doing?"  
  
"Driving your motorbike, Sirius Black."  
  
Lily called out with a chuckle, "Way to show him, Ara!"  
  
Sirius was flabbergasted. "But, but, it's MY bike!" he whined.  
  
"Don't worry, Padfoot!" James smirked. "It's only a CHICK, driving YOUR BIKE for you!"  
  
Sirius rubbed his knuckles into an open palm, glaring banefully at James, then climbed behind Arabella onto the bike. He whispered something in her ear, and Ara smiled dangerously. Everyone else donned their helmets, and three motorbikes roared to life, soaring into the air.  
  
Sirius found himself enjoying the seat, even if it meant he couldn't drive. It meant he could put his arms around the woman he loved, a position he took full advantage of. He sat as closely to her as he could, just revelling in the feeling of closeness. When was the last time he had held her in his arms?  
  
Arabella found herself blushing slightly at Sirius's nearness. Why was she blushing? It wasn't as if she had not been closer to him than this before! Fortunately, the helmet covered her face. She cared about him so much she couldn't take it sometimes. "You're in love, you fool," Arabella whispered to herself, letting her voice get drowned out by the rushing wind and roaring engine. She leaned back into his embrace, letting her back rest against his muscular chest.  
  
After half an hour's ride, they were there. The CC stadium, in all its splendor. It looked like a covered football stadium, privately owned of course. The quidditch gear was kept hidden between practices and matches, and only occasionally rented out to a local football team to keep suspicions minimal.  
  
Arabella hopped off Sirius's bike a second before she braked it, letting Sirius nearly go flying off the front of the bike. He grabbed onto the handles just in time. With a quick kiss and a return of a helmet, she was off at a run. "I'm late already, they're going to kill me! Wish me luck!"  
  
"Good lu-uck!" the three Marauders called after her, and Lily gave her a thumbs up.  
  
Lily put one arm around Juliet, another around James. "Come on, we'd better get in there while there are still seats left!" Peter and Sirius tagged along behind, snickering quietly about something.  
  
They got into the stadium with minimal difficulty. Suddenly, Juliet looked up and gasped. "The ceiling!" she whispered. "Where is it?"  
  
The stars and moon were overhead, just like the real sky that night. Lily was confused for a second, then she began to laugh. "It's like the Great Room at Hogwarts. The ceiling is enchanted to show the sky above. The effect of an open air stadium, without rain or muggle sightings from above!"  
  
James suddenly pulled Lily over to one side. He smiled and gave her a kiss. "I've missed you, you know that?"  
  
"Yeah, Jamie, I missed you too." She squeezed his hand, then noticed the mischevious gleam in his brown eyes, visible even through his glasses. "What did you do?" she asked suspiciously.  
  
"We have a little surprise for you, but you have to close your eyes," James whispered in her ear.  
  
Lily just laughed. "I knew it. Run through the wall, Lily! Jump out your window, Lily! Close your eyes, Lily! Wonder what you're going to want next...," she grumbled. Still, she closed her eyes, felt James take her hand.  
  
She was led through what felt like half the stadium, tripping and nearly falling flat on her face repeatedly. During about the fourth brush with death, Lily felt a large, strong arm link with hers, helping James support her. "Hey, Lil," Sirius said with a smile. "Watch your step."  
  
Lily just fumed, which looked rather funny because her eyes were squeezed shut. "Dumb question: how do I do that if I'm not allowed to open my eyes?"  
  
Lily could tell just by the tone of James's voice that he was holding back a laugh. "You can open your eyes. We're here!"  
  
Lily's eyelids lifted. In front of her was a short, skinny witch, with mousy brown hair, glasses, and greenish brown eyes. "Hazel!" Lily shrieked, embracing her friend in a hug. "I thought you weren't coming!"  
  
"Someone persuaded me," she said softly, nodding over at Peter.  
  
Lily smiled at her rotund friend. "Peter, you doll! Thank you!" She gave Peter a swift hug before turning back to Hazel and Juliet. "Yet another introduction. Juliet Montague; Hazel Weatherby," Lily said, contentedly sighing.  
  
The two witches nodded to each other politely, and they all settled into their seats. Lily found herself in dead center, with James on the bench behind her, leaning forward so that he was holding her in his arms. Then, Lily had Hazel on one side and Juliet on the other, with Peter and Sirius next to James.  
  
The he magical amplification system kicked in with a slight screech. "Welcome to Chudley Cannons vs. the Wimbourne Wasps!"  
  
The sound of the cheering crowds resonated around them, filling the air with noise, as two teams flew out. Wimbourne was wearing yellow and black, while Chudley had crimson and gold.  
  
"On the Cannons, we have Weasley, Figg, Hooch, Stone, Diggory, Fletcher, aaaand Longbottom!" The entire CC section went wild, and Lily's section positively roared at Arabella's name. "On the Wasps, we have Lestrange, Lestrange, Houfne, Nott, Goyle, Bagman, aaaand Malfoy!" The WW fans shouted then, and Sirius booed loudly, causing everyone to laugh.  
  
"And the game begins! Weasley in possession, passing to Hooch, Weasley, Figg, and she scores! 10-0 CC!" Lily was cheering, Hazel was clapping, and Sirius was whooping.  
  
Suddenly, Sam Weasley, a guy they had played against from Hufflepuff, and Goyle, an ugly beater they remembered as a Slytherin, nearly collided as Goyle swerved straight into Weasley's path. A bludger immediately zipped their way, sensing the increased presense in the area. Goyle smartly smashed the bludger right into Sam's face.  
  
"PENALTY!" James roared, and the referee seemed to agree, because Arabella got to take the penalty shot against Nott, the Wimbourne keeper.  
  
A tense silence transpired, and then Ara shot the large red quaffle right into one of the hoops. "She scores! 20-0 CC!"  
  
Weasley's nose got mended back into place by a medi-witch, and the game continued. Unfortunately, the game did not get any cleaner, but rather much worse. Right when the Cannons were about to score again, Mrs. Lestrange (the Lestranges were a married couple of chasers, both apparently in a vindictive mood), knocked the quaffle out of Hooch's hands. Hooch was the other witch besides Ara on the Cannons (the rest were wizards), also a chaser. Lestrange then caught the quaffle, passed it to her husband, and he somehow made it past Stone and scored. "20-10 CC, but that was uncalled for!" the announcer shouted.  
  
In response, Mundungus Fletcher, a beater who James and Sirius had both played with on their house team, decided to get even. Mrs. Lestrange suddenly felt a well-placed bludger pelt her in the stomach, and she nearly fell off her broom. Her husband whirled around just in time to watch.  
  
Both teams got penalty shots. Arabella got to take CC's, and she scored. "30-10 for the Cannons!" Again, Sirius cheered wildly, but all of the friends were just as happy.  
  
Then, Mr. Lestrange got to take the penalty shot for the Wasps. Instead of the quaffle going through a hoop, it caught Stone squarely in the head. No new penalty shot was called, though Stone had a black eye. James and Sirius were both on their feet, jeering violently.  
  
As they sat down, Frank Longbottom, the friendly CC seeker, dove straight down, a golden gleam several dozen yards below him. Lucius Malfoy, the Wimbourne seeker, flew after him. Everyone had their omnoculars trained on the two seekers as they spiralled downward, chasing the golden snitch.  
  
Meanwhile, Arabella continued on as though the seekers were not moving. She scored two more goals while the seekers were in motion, changing the score to 50-10. Someone had caught the snitch, the whistle blew. Lily hadn't seen who, so she crossed her fingers.  
  
"Final score 200-10, Chudleeeey Caaaaaannons!" boomed the announcer. The entire stadium cheered, at least on Lily's side. The roar of the crowds was deafening.  
  
She saw the motion out of the corner of her eye, a sudden and eyecatching movement. She turned her head in time to see Arabella fall off her broom, two bludgers colliding with her thin frame. Time moved slowly, as Lily watched her friend slowly tumble to the ground. In the instantaneous, deafening silence, Hazel gasped, Sirius roared, James and Peter were shouting something. Someone screamed, and it took Lily a second to realize it was her. She clapped her hands over her mouth numbly, even as Ara hit the ground.  
  
The friends rushed out of the seats, pushed and shoved their way through the crowds. Sirius was in the lead, practically tearing through the people as he ran. James steadied Lily with his strong arms as he tugged her, with Juliet, Peter, and Hazel following along, through the throngs of people. After a few endless minutes of shoving, they all made it to the edge of the field. Sirius jumped over the small partition seperating the stands from the playing field without hesitation, and everyone else followed.  
  
By the time they made it to the mediwitch tent, the entire Chudley team had assembled. Mundungus and Tobias were standing at her side, anxiously talking with one of the mediwitches, while everyone else looked on.  
  
Lily saw Arabella, and she felt sick. It must have been a thirty yard fall; it was a miracle she was still alive. Her friend's beautiful crimson robes were filthy and crumpled, her hair was not in its tight braid anymore. Ara's kaleidoscopic eyes were closed, and a lump was forming on her forehead. There were bruises and scratches all over her arms and face.  
  
Sirius immediately rushed forward. "Is she all right?"  
  
"Do you know Ms. Figg?" one of the medi-witches asked coolly, a brisk woman clad in the robes of a medi-witch, white with blue trim.  
  
Sirius nodded. "We all do, friends from Hogwarts. Fletch and Stone'll agree." The two quidditch players nodded, not really looking at Sirius. Everyone's faces were directed to Arabella.  
  
The medi-witch nodded again. "She'll be fine, just a few cracked ribs and some bruises. Nothing we can't fix."  
  
Another medi-witch looked up from Arabella, "Poppy, can you come over here?" With that, she bustled off.  
  
It took about half a dozen mediwitches working at once to fix Arabella up. "Not because she's that badly injured, just because we all want to get home," Poppy whispered confidentially to Lily as they patched her friend back up.  
  
All the friends waited in silence, Sirius staring forlornly at Arabella's limp form. "I'm going to get Goyle and Bagman, if it's the last thing I do," he whispered vehemently. Lily just sat beside him, patting his arm gently, lost for words.  
  
Within the hour, Arabella was on her feet, though a little shaky. As she stood, the entire group had to fight off the urge to knock her over with hugs. Only Sirius, Fletch, and Stone actually helped her walk out of the stadium.  
  
Lily, Juliet, and Hazel walked over to her as soon as Stone and Fletch had left, which had only occurred after both men were convinced Arabella wasn't about to pass out. "You gave us a scare, Ara," Lily whispered as she gave Arabella a swift hug.  
  
Hazel quickly followed suit, murmuring, "I was so worried."  
  
"Guys, I'm fine!" Arabella said with a laugh, tossing her messy braid with a flick of her head. "Goyle's bludger wasn't too bad, just shook my balance a little, it was Bagman's that knocked me over. It wasn't even the bludgers, it was the fall. I'm fine!" she repeated.  
  
After that, the group as a whole decided to go back to Arabella's for a while. Sirius whispered in Arabella's ear, "So, who's going to drive?"  
  
"I didn't get hit THAT hard, Sirius Black!" Ara replied with a sarcastic chuckle as she climbed into the driver's seat.  
  
Before she donned her helmet, Arabella stuck her tongue out at James, who was laughing silently at Sirius, then she just laughed as three motorbikes roared into action, accompanied by a lone broom. Hazel had never been much for the thunder of an engine. They all flew off into the night, laughing and holding their riding partners close. 


End file.
